Optical imaging through turbid (e.g., cloudy) water results in poor signal-to-noise ratio data, compromising qualitative and quantitative analyses or requiring unacceptable operational constraints. Current solutions are technically complex and expensive, limiting their ability to be used in emerging low cost architectures. For example, certain conventional systems use Light Distancing and Ranging (LIDAR) which excludes out-of-object-plane light using time gating. However, such systems are generally large and expensive, and do not provide color-corrected images. Other approaches involve placing the optical sensor close to the object being imaged, which reduces the impact of scattering exponentially. However, for many applications requiring close-range imaging is undesirable and potentially risky. Some approaches focus on image processing to “clean up” images with scattering effects, but have limited ability to improve image quality. Photonic mixing devices (PMDs) also enable time of flight measurements for range finding applications. A light source is modulated at a frequency in the range of 1 MHz to 1 GHz. The light illuminates a scene, and part of the reflected light enters the range finder camera. By measuring in each pixel the phase of the incident light, a distance can be estimated between the pixel and its conjugate (light-reflecting) pixel area in the scene. In this way the distances of objects and shape of objects can be estimated and recorded. As opposed to some externally mixed schemes, a PMD mixes the incident light immediately in the detector, instead of in a connected electronic mixer. As a result, low noise may be achieved, and often a better signal to noise ratio and a smaller error on the estimated distance.